Imagine golf is a giant balloon that keeps getting bigger and bigger. While fandom is cheering that growth, David Abeles, the man who leads TaylorMade and Tiger Woods’ Sun Day Red brand, sees a scary cliff right ahead. And if the other sports’ bosses also do not watch their step, the whole thing might actually fall apart.

“While there’s a decent balance today, we probably can use a few more access points, distribution, and golf course development. We have a history in this industry of jumping on an S-curve and overbuilding our infrastructure,” Abeles told the GolfDigest when asked about the possible roadblocks to future sustained growth of the game. “I think we’re in a pretty good place with a pretty good balance right now, but it’s important that business leaders make decisions around the data sets that are enabling them to determine what they build and how quickly they build it.”

Abeles believes the number of courses and gear matches what players actually need today. In the past, the sport suffered because there were way too many golf shops. Today, millions of people enjoy the game, and it has seen a massive increase since 2019. This balance keeps the industry healthy and ensures that prices stay fair for all fans.

Accessibility is the magic key that keeps new people coming. So the game needs more driving ranges and fun simulator bars in big cities for younger fans to keep this perfect harmony. Because if people cannot find a place to play easily, they will eventually stop trying altogether. The PGA Tour is making its fields smaller for the upcoming season.

The Tour’s Policy Board decided to cut full-time job security from the top 125 players down to the top 100. Korn Ferry promotions also dropped from 30 to 20, and Q-School winners now face a much smaller pathway. Field sizes decrease, and some events may be limited to 120 players to reduce the field to increase the competitiveness. This change could hurt the center of the game while everyone focuses on the outside, and people like Lucas Glover and Brian Harman also warned about the consequences.

So, the CEO warned about something called an S-curve, which means building way too much. Back in the 1990s, companies roughly built a new golf course every day for ten years. But they built too many, and eventually, hundreds of those beautiful courses closed forever.

Let’s understand the context with some more clarity in the light of Tiger Woods’ Sun Day Red, which aims to earn $200 million in revenue in 2026.

Woods launched Sun Day Red in partnership with TaylorMade in February 2024, replacing his long-standing Nike apparel relationship. The brand focuses on premium performance golf apparel and accessories. For now, the global golf apparel market is strong and forecasted to grow rapidly: Valued at roughly $9.07 billion in 2024 and projected to exceed $13 billion by 2032 (nearly 5% CAGR), as per Fortune Business Insights. Now, if the overall global golf market gets affected, Woods Sun Day Red brand will eventually get that hit as well.

Then what’s next?

Abeles’ caution about golf’s growth is rooted in historical patterns. He’s urging leaders to think data-driven and sustainable rather than simply celebrating short-term gains. Participation is up dramatically across the country, which is great, but access points, several barriers, and infrastructure planning will determine whether this momentum becomes lasting growth or another boom-bust cycle.

We don’t know how things will change further. But what we do know is the Woods is not sitting quietly.

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What may future look like for Tiger Woods?

Tiger Woods’ TGR Ventures and the Jupiter Links of the TMRW Golf League (TGL) signed a multi-year deal in August 2025 with Insperity, a Professional Employer Organization (PEO) that helps companies manage HR. After that, many fans think Woods will play on the Senior Tour very soon because the affiliated brand is the title sponsor of the Insperity Invitational, a premier event on the PGA Tour Champions schedule held annually at The Woodlands Country Club in Texas.

Tiger Woods last competed in a PGA Tour event in July 2024, when he missed the cut at the Open Championship at Royal Troon. He has not played a full round of an official tournament since finishing 60th at the 2024 Masters.

Realistically, Woods has ruled out a full-time return to professional golf due to the severity of his injuries from a 2021 car crash and multiple subsequent surgeries, and is not playing currently due to his seventh back surgery in October.

At the Hero World Challenge, he mentioned that he is hitting a few shots but before he could commit to playing anywhere competitively, he needs to ensure he is fit enough to do that.

His appearances at the TGL season 2 shows that he is doing better. Fans saw him hitting short shots and chipping balls before Jupiter lost to New York in Florida.  Now If his recovery goes well, we might see him competing in TGL in March or the Masters in April.  Fans might see Woods compete at the Senior PGA Championship or the U.S. Senior Open as well.